A few weeks ago I was feeling run down. My Grandma Farley would’ve said I was “puny,” and I don’t like to feel puny. So I went to the doctor … who asked me questions like how much sleep I get and if I was breastfeeding. Breastfeeding?!?! Ahem. Despite the fact that she didn’t notice I delivered our last child sixteen+ years ago, she did find out I have a Vitamin D deficiency. In fact, my Vitamin D was rock bottom. Thus, the limited energy.

I found out a lot of people have low Vitamin D, mostly due to decreased time in the sunshine (TOO much sunscreen?) and decreased  vitamins in our food. Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption in our bodies, which provides for bone strength. Without adequate Vitamin D, osteoporosis can develop from soft and brittle bones.  So since I can’t move to the beach … I went to check out foods high in Vitamin D.

Maybe what I found out will help you too.

15 Foods high in Vitamin D

1. Dairy products (Get the Vitamin D fortified milk)
2. Eggs
3. Tuna
4. Liver (Seriously … I’m not going to eat this)
5. White mushrooms
6. Sushi (Don’t like this)
7. Tofu (Don’t like this)
8. Soy milk
9. Salmon
10. Breakfast sausage
11. Oatmeal
12. Pork tenderloin
13. Cereal
14. Orange juice
15. Oysters

Another food that’s not on this list but that is high in Vitamin D is the sweet potato. I found a simple, quick, and healthy way to prepare them that we just love. I use medium to small sweet potatoes, unpeeled, but trimmed on the ends. I cut each potato in half lengthwise, brush them with olive oil, and bake them at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes, until they’re fork tender. Don’t flip them as they bake; they’ll develop a delicious, lightly browned edge on the cut side. Serve with a little bit of butter as a side for salmon, and you have a Vitamin D packed meal!